to project (a bullet or the like) by or as if by discharging from a gun.

29.

to subject to explosion or explosive force, as a mine.

30.

to hurl; throw:

to fire a stone through a window.

31.

to dismiss from a job.

32.

Veterinary Medicine. to apply a heated iron to (the skin) in order to create a local inflammation of the superficial structures, with the intention of favorably affecting deeper inflammatory processes.

33.

to drive out or away by or as by fire.

verb (used without object), fired, firing.

34.

to take fire; be kindled.

35.

to glow as if on fire.

36.

to become inflamed with passion; become excited.

37.

to shoot, as a gun.

38.

to discharge a gun:

to fire at a fleeing enemy.

39.

to hurl a projectile.

40.

Music. to ring the bells of a chime all at once.

41.

(of plant leaves) to turn yellow or brown before the plant matures.

42.

(of an internal-combustion engine) to cause ignition of the air-fuel mixture in a cylinder or cylinders.

43.

(of a nerve cell) to discharge an electric impulse.

Verb phrases

44.

fire away, Informal. to begin to talk and continue without slackening, as to ask a series of questions:

The reporters fired away at the president.

45.

fire off,

to discharge (as weapons, ammunition, etc.):

Police fired off canisters of tear gas.

to write and send hurriedly:

She fired off an angry letter to her congressman.

Idioms

46.

between two fires, under physical or verbal attack from two or more sides simultaneously:

The senator is between two fires because of his stand on the bill.

47.

build a fire under, Informal. to cause or urge to take action, make a decision quickly, or work faster:

If somebody doesn't build a fire under that committee, it will never reach a decision.

48.

catch fire,

Also, catch on fire. to become ignited; burn:

The sofa caught fire from a lighted cigarette.

to create enthusiasm:

His new book did not catch fire among his followers.

49.

fight fire with fire, to use the same tactics as one's opponent; return like for like.

50.

go through fire and water, to brave any danger or endure any trial:

He said he would go through fire and water to win her hand.

51.

hang fire,

to be delayed in exploding, or fail to explode.

to be undecided, postponed, or delayed:

The new housing project is hanging fire because of concerted opposition.

52.

miss fire,

to fail to explode or discharge, as a firearm.

to fail to produce the desired effect; be unsuccessful:

He repeated the joke, but it missed fire the second time.

53.

on fire,

ignited; burning; afire.

eager; ardent; zealous:

They were on fire to prove themselves in competition.

54.

play with fire, to trifle with a serious or dangerous matter:

He didn't realize that insulting the border guards was playing with fire.

fire

v.

c.1200, furen, figurative, "arouse, excite;" literal sense of "set fire to" is from late 14c., from fire (n.). The Old English verb fyrian "to supply with fire" apparently did not survive into Middle English.

The sense of "sack, dismiss" is first recorded 1885 in American English (earlier "throw (someone) out" of some place, 1871), probably from a play on the two meanings of discharge: "to dismiss from a position," and "to fire a gun," fire in the second sense being from "set fire to gunpowder," attested from 1520s. Of bricks, pottery, etc., from 1660s. Related: Fired; firing. Fired up "angry" is from 1824. Firing squad is attested from 1904.

Current spelling is attested as early as 1200, but did not fully displace Middle English fier (preserved in fiery) until c.1600.

PIE apparently had two roots for fire: *paewr- and *egni- (cf. Latin ignis). The former was "inanimate," referring to fire as a substance, and the latter was "animate," referring to it as a living force (see water).

Fire applied in English to passions, feelings, from mid-14c. Meaning "action of guns, etc." is from 1580s. Firecracker is American English coinage for what is in England just cracker, but the U.S. word distinguishes it from the word meaning "biscuit." Fire-engine attested from 1680s. The figurative expression play with fire "risk disaster" is from 1887; phrase where's the fire? "what's the hurry?" first recorded 1924.